


It's Different, Now

by Blocky (orphan_account)



Category: Danny Phantom
Genre: Developing Relationship, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-11-15
Updated: 2012-11-15
Packaged: 2017-11-18 17:31:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 13,173
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/563614
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/Blocky
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Danny and Sam call it quits the night of the Prom, but that doesn't stop her and Tuck help Danny get with Paulina. What DOES, however, is a mix-up involving Dash Baxter, which sends everything both he and Danny ever knew or felt about each other into question. Post-DannyXSam canonization, ignoring ghosts and "the reveal".</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Part 1

Danny and Sam stood outside the school gym. Danny was pulling at the collar of his suit, Sam at the belt around the dress she had stubbornly decided to wear, much to the distaste of her parents.

"So... Still friends?" Danny asked, uncertain. "No hard feelings?"

Sam smiled. "No hard feelings."

Danny finally relaxed, mirroring Sam's expression. He offered his hand to his now-ex-girlfriend, and together they walked into the school gym.

It was Prom night, of all the nights to end a relationship, but the two had known the end was coming for quite a while. At least this way it was better to spend the so-called 'best night of their high school lives' single than in a relationship they knew wasn't working. Behind them, another couple arrived, getting out of a rented white limousine and strutting past the several students watching them enter the prom. The Casper High Power Couple, Dash Baxter and Paulina Sanchez. And boy, did they look the part.

"Ow," Paulina yelped. Dash had stepped on the hem of her dress, nearly tripping her up. "Watch where you're walking!'

"YOU watch where YOU'RE walking," Dash retorted. Paulina scowled and stepped smartly forward, pulling her date along.

"You're just lucky I need you to look good," she said, her nose upturned. Dash frowned.

"Hey, I need YOU to make ME look good!"

"Whatever, can we just go in, already?"

The two stepped through the double doors, the frowns dropping from their faces to be replaced by smiles almost passable as genuine. The moment Danny and Sam had entered, they had noticed Tucker. He was predictably hanging out by the punch bowl, alone.

"Hey guys," he said, or at least TRIED to say through a handful of nachos and a cup of fruity party drink. "Havin' fun?"

"We only just got here," Danny answered.

"Hey Tucker," Sam began, "we've got something to tell you."

"You two finally broke up, huh?"

"What?" Sam and Danny asked in unison. "How did you know?"

"Please," Tucker said, licking his fingers clean. "I've been your third wheel for almost four years, I can tell when your dynamic changes. So who did the dumping?"

"It was kind of a mutual thing," Danny answered.

"And not in a one-of-us-is-okay-with-it-and-the-other's-still-in-love kind of deal," Sam added.

"Well in all honesty, I never liked you two as a couple anyway. Too cliche, y'know?"

"Wow, thanks, Tuck," Danny laughed. "Good to know my best friend's been against my relationship since day one."

"So where's YOUR date?" Sam asked, smirking.

"Non-existent," Tucker said, giving her a deadpan stare. "And I'm perfectly okay with that."

"Is it because you've discovered the nacho bowl's natural appeal?" Danny asked.

"Oh nacho bowl," Tucker mock-swooned, holding the container closer to his body. "They said we could never be together..."

The DJ flipped a dial and the music filling the gym changed.

"Oh, sweet!" Danny cried. "I LOVE this song!"

"Wanna dance?" Sam asked, offering her hand. "Friend?"

Danny smiled back and took it.

"You kids have fun," Tucker said, caressing the nacho bowl. "We're fine where we are."

"Oh no you don't," Sam laughed, taking it from his grasp and putting it back on the table.

"No!" Tucker cried as his two best friends dragged him onto the dancefloor with the other students. "Nacho bowl! Wait for me!"

"Come on," Paulina whined, "let's go dance!"

"Aw, but we just got here!" Dash complained. He looked down and say Paulina shooting him a poisonous look.

"Uh... hey Paulina, wanna da-WOAH!"

Paulina had reverted to her smiling self and was dragging Dash into the middle of the dancefloor by his arm. They joined the crowd of students already dancing, jumping around and jerking their limbs about to the music.

"Dude, you're TERRIBLE," Tucker laughed, looking at Danny.

"Oh, YOU'RE one to talk," Danny retorted. "At the rate you're going, you're gonna knock someone over!"

Almost on cue, Danny backed right into another student, almost knocking them over.

"Hey!" They yelled.

"Oh, sorry," Danny said, spinning around to help whoever he'd just...

"What're you tryin' to pull, FenTURD?" Dash asked, clenching his fists.

"Oh, great," Danny said to himself.

"You tryin' to mess up my date with Paulina, Fenton? Well I don't take kindly to people tryna steal my woman!"

"YOUR woman?" Paulina asked, her hands on her hips. Everybody ignored her.

"Look, Dash," Danny began, holding up his hands. "It's Prom. I don't need your trouble tonight, and you don't want mine. Can we just not do this for one day?"

Dash hesitated. He glanced sideways and say Paulina eying a guy not that far from her, smiling with her eyes half-closed. "... Fine. But if I see you moving in on Paulina, you're DEAD!"

Dash lead Paulina away from the scene, leaving Danny to sigh with relief.

"Dash," Paulina complained, "I wanted to be in the center of the dancefloor! That's how all the prom queens get noticed!"

"Well you know what DOESN'T get you noticed," Dash said, "looking at another guy!"

"But... YOU noticed me," Paulina said, her finger on her chin.

"You know what I mean! WE'RE meant to be together tonight!"

Paulina rolled her eyes. "That's not my STYLE, Dash! I don't like getting pinned down with one guy. There's enough Paulina for everyone! Well, all the cute ones!"

"Well it's either get pinned down for one night or be single! If we don't sell this thing, someone ELSE gets to be the school's Power Couple and NEITHER of us get the glory."

Paulina groaned. "Fiiiine."

"So no more flirting," Dash added. Paulina rolled her eyes and continued dancing, albeit half-heartedly.

"Dude, you're all kinds of lucky tonight," Tucker said, grinning at Danny. "You have the cleanest break-up in the history of high schools, and you get Dash to back off. You're on a ROLL!"

"I think he's just lucky Dash had other things on his mind," Sam said, arms folded.

"Yeah," Danny said, gazing whistfully over at Paulina and Dash. "I'd rather 'other things' didn't mean Paulina, though."

"Woah," Sam said, holding up her hands. "We broke up ten minutes ago and you're already moving on?"

"I'm not 'moving on'," Danny said, looking back at Sam. "I'm just thinking out loud."

"No, it's okay," Sam said, rolling her eyes. "I'd be lying if I said I wasn't already thinking about someone else."

"Wait, you moved on that quickly, too?"

"What do you expect? We've been rocky for weeks! Once you realize the end is coming up, one can't help but plan for the future."

"I say go for it," Tucker interjected. "Well, I WOULD, if she weren't here with Dash."

"Dash," Danny said, frustrated. "Always in the way."

"Imagine if they had some big falling-out, right here?" Tucker asked.

"Oh man," Danny said dreamily. "Paulina all alone, needing someone to slowdance with..."

"And let's face it," Tucker added, "it wouldn't be that much of a stretch to think Dash is gonna offend someone tonight. Who's to say that someone wouldn't be his date?"

"I don't think even Dash is that much of a tool," Danny said. "It's all just wishful thinking, anyway. None of that stuff REALLY happens, right?"

"Unfortunately, such situations are rare outside the realm of sappy romance films," Sam mused.

The song ended and the DJ switched back to what seemed to Danny, Sam and Tucker to be nothing more than background music.

"Can we go back to the food table?" Tucker asked. "I'm not one for dancing for long periods of time. Plus, I think I hear Nacho Bowl calling me."

The three friends made their way through the crowd to the table where the food and punch was stacked. Among the several others who were also on such a path were Dash and Paulina, argueing once again.

"I can't BELIEVE you were looking at that other cheerleader! And after you got angry at ME for looking at someone else!"

"I'm sorry!" Dash said. "She was hot! What do you want from me?"

"I WANT you to stop being a hippy... hippocro... I want you not look at other girls!"

"Okay, okay! I won't look at anyone else, I promise!"

"Good. Now get me some punch, I'm thirsty."

"The punch bowl is right behind you."

Paulina gave him another dirty look and Dash quickly stepped around her towards the punch bowl.

"Out of my way, nerds," he said, pushing Danny and Sam aside to get to the bowl.

"Now's your chance, Danny," Tucker whispered, pointing past him. Danny turned and saw Paulina just several feet away, looking unhappy, bored, and completely alone.

"No way," he whispered back. "You heard Dash, if he caught me he'd kill me!"

"We'll keep him occupied," Tucker said. "Right, Sam?"

Sam rolled her eyes but smiled. She gave Danny a nudge in Paulina's direction as Tucker turned his attention on Dash.

"So," he said. "Dash, what've YOU been doing late-"

"Can it, NERD," he said, filling a plastic cup with punch. "I'm not in the mood for your NERD TALK. I've got a hot date to get back to."

"Oh, please," Sam interrupted, standing next to Tucker so Dash's back was facing Danny and Paulina. "It's obvious you're only together for your image."

"Wh-what?"

"Y-yeah," Tucker continued, uncertain of why Sam was going down this particular conversational avenue. "There's no chemistry at ALL, just two popular people being popular together. No realism at ALL."

Dash stared, speechless. Sam smirked and continued.

"It's like you're not even trying to cover up that you're only going out together because everyone EXPECTS you to."

Meanwhile, Danny had attempted to start a conversation with Paulina. He'd swung around so that her back was facing Dash. This way he'd be able to see when Dash started to turn around, and when HE'd have to make a quick getaway.

"Hey Paulina," he began. "You here with-"

"Dash Baxter," she said. "So I'm not about to start dancing with a loser like YOU."

"Oh come on," Danny said, dropping the 'nice guy' act. "Everyone knows you're only together because people EXPECT you to be!"

"Maybe, but I'm a POPULAR girl, Danny. That's all I really WANT, right now?"

Tucker stepped backwards as Sam started getting a little too carried away with her 'Dash Distraction'.

"Have you EVER, in your WHOLE LIFE, gone out with a girl JUST because you wanted to and NOT beacuse it'd make you look 'cooler'?"

"I... Um," Dash stammered, looking around for something to change the subject.

"That doesn't matter to you," he finally said defensively, frowning and trying to look and sound intimidating.

"Look," Danny said, attempting a last-ditch effort to convince Paulina. "One dance. That's all I'm asking for. If you still want to after that, you can go back to Dash and I'll leave you alone. Just please, give me one chance..."

Danny offered his hand. Paulina looked at it, then to Danny, a thoughtful expression playing about her face...

"No way," she finally said, pushing the hand away. She folded her arms and walked away, passing Danny. He looked to the floor, dejected. There was nobody between him and Dash now, but it didn't matter any more. Paulina was gone, and she'd never be caught dead associating with Danny Fenton.

"Why don't you think real dating matters?" Sam asked.

"I-It was just never my thing!" Dash cries, on the verge of going crazy after all the personal questioning by the Goth girl.

"Okay boys and girls," the DJ announced, flipping another dial. "It's time to find that special someone and sloooooow things down a little..."

The music faded into a slow melody. Around the room, couples came together and moved onto the floor.

"Oh boy, a distraction!" Dash announced. "Later, nerds, I got a hot date to slowdance with!"

Dash reached behind him and grabbed his date, leading them to the middle of the dancefloor.

"He REALLY uses the term 'hot date' a lot," Tucker said.

"Tucker," Sam said, her eyes wide. "Dash didn't grab a hot date."

She pointed to the dancefloor where Dash was dragging someone that definitely WASN'T Paulina into the fray. "That's DANNY!"

Danny barely noticed being grabbed by someone, but went with it anyway, expecting it to be Sam taking him for a pity dance. He looked up and saw Sam back at the food table next to Tucker, biting her nails on one hand and pointing at HIM with the other. Both of them were wide-eyed, as if something horrible had just happened. Danny realized something was off and looked up at who had taken him onto the floor for a slowdance...

"Dash?" he asked.

"That's me," Dash said, spinning around and instinctively holding Danny in the position for slowdancing. No later than that did he realize that he was NOT holding Paulina.

"Gah! Fenton!?" He whispered.

"Who ELSE," Danny asked. "Could you let go of me, please?"

"Where's Paulina?" Dash whispered.

"She walked off," Danny whispered back. "Why are we-"

"Just keep your voice down!" Dash whispered, looking around the room, madly. "If someone notices us, we're screwed!"

"Then just let go and we'll go get our REAL dates?" Danny proposed, frowning.

"Are you kidding? We're in the middle of the floor! If anyone sees us, they'll know I can't even tell a nerd from my own date!"

"What are you saying?" Danny asked. "We finish the song?"

"Nobody's paying attention," Dash continues, looking around. "If we don't make any sudden movements, nobody'll notice."

"This is STUPID," Danny said, letting go of Dash's hand.

"Don't you ruin this for me, Fenton," Dash said, gripping it tighter. "You don't know how things work on the social ladder!"

"Okay, okay!" Danny said, giving in. "Just... Hand a bit higher, please?"

Dash realized he had placed his hand a little too low on Danny, having expected the shorter Paulina instead. Danny reached back and shifted it for him.

"Is this seriously happening," Sam asked incredulously. Tucker wordlessly nodded, too stunned for words.

"What are they DOING? They DO realize what's happened, right? Why aren't they breaking up?"

"Excuse me," Paulina asked, poking Sam rudely in the shoulder. "Would you mind explaining why your boyfriend is slowdancing with MY boyfriend?"

"Your guess is as good as ours," Tucker said, finally breaking his gaze with the scene. "Can YOU tell us why they haven't broken apart, yet?"

"Uh, DUH," Paulina said, frowning. "In this environment, nobody who's already dancing would even notice them. But if one of them makes a move, EVERYONE will see them!"

"That's... seriously how this works?" Sam asked. Paulina ignored her, looking back at Dash and Danny with an annoyed look on her face.

"Teenagers are stupid," Sam said, looking at Tucker.

Dash and Danny continued dancing, both of them looking around the room to be sure nobody had noticed their mistake.

"Oh man," Dash whimpered. "I can't believe I'm slowdancing with a NERD!"

"I can't believe I'm slowdancing with another GUY," Danny said, frowning.

Dash pushed him away slightly, enough for them to make eye contact. "Woah, dude, don't be so closed-minded."

Danny rolled his eyes and they stepped back together, resuming their surveillance.

Dash mentally groaned. I can't do this, he thought to himself. Gotta get my mind off it... why DON'T I ever date girls just 'cos they're hot? It's always been an image thing, right? But would going out with a girl 'cos I liked her be that bad?

Dash mentally slapped himself. Pull yourself together, Dash! Don't let that GOTH chick get in your head, of all people.

I can't believe I'm out here with DASH instead of Paulina, Danny thought to himself. All that fantasizing about that one magical dance with Paulina Sanchez, and I'm out here with... THIS guy.

"We've gotta do something," Sam said. "If someone turns and sees them or ANYTHING, Danny'll be DONE for."

"What do you think you can do?" Paulina asked. "You can't just go out there, you'll stick out like a sore thumb!"

"Oh, there are girls with weirder dresses here," Sam said, even though it wasn't really true.

"Not the DRESS, YOU! A single person walking into a group of couples might as well be holding a sign that says 'look at me, I'm lonely'!"

"Well in THAT case," Sam said, grabbing Paulina by the arm. She spun her into a slowdance pose and stepped out onto the dancefloor. Paulina made a sound of shock but kept quiet once they were out.

Tucker watched as Sam slowdanced with another girl and smiled mischeviously, taking out his phone and holding it up. He pressed a button and a red circle appeared on the screen.

Dash let his eyes leave the crowd and focus on the ceiling. I don't think anyone's gonna look, he thought. We might be in the clear until the song ends.

... this isn't THAT bad, really. It's just FENTON. Just some nerd. And he's not that bad a dancer, either.

Danny frowned and let his eyes focus on the ground. This isn't right, he thought. Dash is... well, he's not wailing on me, that's a first. But he's not... he's not being that forceful at all, actually. Hm, I guess Dash IS capable of being gentle.

Danny looked around awkwardly before letting his eyes drift to Dash. He noticed his expression, not of anger or frustration, just nervousness. It was a rare sight to see Dash Baxter that vaulnerable. And it was with HIM...

Dash's eyes dart down and meet Danny's. They both jerk their heads away, instantly worried. I can't believe that just happen, they think at the same time. He saw me looking! Wait, why was I looking?

Danny refocussed on the crowd and saw another sight he thought he'd never see: Sam slowdancing with Paulina. He was starting to question whether this whole night wasn't a side effect of some weird medication his parents had sneaked onto him.

Sam and Paulina were staring at them, Paulina in a noticeably more menacing way. They moved closer, turning slightly to maintain the illusion. Danny realized what they were trying to do, they were going to exchange partners fast enough so nobody would notice. That's brilliant!

Danny was about to whisper to Dash to tell him the plan, but when he looked back up at him he... stopped.

Dash's expression had changed again. He still looked nervous, but now it looked like it was something different. Danny looked down at the hand on his shoulder and realized it's grip and that on his waist had grown looser, to the point where it was as if Dash was scared he'd hurt him. Danny found himself feeling something, something he'd never felt for Dash before...

"What is he DOING," Paulina muttered, seeing Danny make a waving motion. Sam just stared, forgetting to move for a moment before Paulina kicked her in the shin.

"Ow!"

"YOU'RE his girlfriend, YOU explain what he's doing!"

"He's NOT my boyfriend," Sam answered. "And what he's doing is signalling us."

"Signalling us to what?"

"... to back off."

Paulina's mouth opened in shock. She let herself get slowdanced back to the sidelines as Sam looked nervously at the pair.

"What's going on?" Tucker asked, his phone still out.

"Danny said to... to not interfere," Sam answered. Tucker looked back at Danny and Dash dancing, his eyes widening further. His phone had yet to be turned off, and was now pointing directly at the two.

Dash's mind wandered further, his eyes wandering back to Danny. This whole thing feels really different. It feels... better? Better than what? Than being with Paulina, I guess. And Star. And that other girl who's name I don't know. But why? Why does it feel better with Fenton than the popular girls?

It just feels so much more... normal?

Danny looked back up at Dash and their eyes met again. This time, neither of them looked away. Danny stared into Dash's eyes and saw someone different. The boy who'd tortured him for years just wasn't there anymore. Here, holding him, dancing with him at Prom was someone else, someone better...

Dash stared into Danny's eyes and didn't see the puny geek he'd stuffed into a locker a countless number of times. The boy he'd had the unexplained desire to bully since the moment they met just wasn't there. The boy he was holding, dancing with at Prom was someone better...

The music stopped. The DJ made some comment about it being time to 'get funky' or some other outdated phrase and switched the song. But Danny and Dash were lost to the world.

The couples broke apart and started talking again. Bit by bit they started to notice, and silence started to take hold once again. Soon the entire room was staring at Danny Fenton and Dash Baxter, holding each other in the middle of the dancefloor, staring into each others eyes.

Sam smacked a hand into her face. Tucker ogled his phone, wondering how powerful he had just become by catching all that on film. Paulina had yet to change expression since Sam had explained Danny's signal, still gaping at the scene like a fish out of water.

Suddenly, the sound of the music woke the two up from their daze. Dash and Danny blinked and looked around the room, suddenly realized the whole student body was looking at them. Out of shock and fear, they froze in place, no idea of what to do.

Moments later, Dash broke out of the trance and shoved, pushing Danny away from him. Danny tripped over himself and landed on the ground.

"What the heck, FenTURD!?" Dash yelled for the whole room to hear. "What are you trying to do, dance with me?"

Danny looked up at Dash and recognised the brute he'd known since elementary school. He frowned and picked himself up, dusting off his suit.

"Come on, Paulina," Dash yelled, walking briskly over to his REAL date and grabbing her by the arm. "Let's go dance AWAY from this LOSER."

"R-Right!" Paulina cried, breaking free of her shock, but overloading on the excitement. She and Dash all but ran to another part of the dancefloor and started dancing to the music. Bit by bit, the rest of the student body went back to normal, dancing and talking as if nothing had happened.

"Danny, are you okay?" Sam asked. She and Tucker had approached Danny while he watched Dash and Paulina walk away.

Tucker lifted his phone. "Dude," he said, trying to change the subject, "I TOTALLY got footage of Sam slowdancing with Paulina."

"Good for you," Danny said, looking away. "Sorry I'm not as excited as I should be."

"What WAS that out there," Sam asked. Danny hesitated, but felt his face start to go red and turned further away.

"I don't know," he finally answered. "Look, would you guys hate me if I left, like right now?"

"This party's kinda stale already," Tucker said.

"Yeah," Sam agreed. "I wasn't even in the mood to come, anyway."

"Cool," Danny said.

On the other side of the room, Dash looked up from dancing with Paulina and saw Danny lead his friends out the double doors, ditching Prom. He looked away, only trying a little to conceal the sad look on his face, wondering why it was hurting so much to see him leave.


	2. Part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a little lacking, both in size and in quality. It's just a bit of aftermath and other things. The third chapter'll be where the real stuff happens.

The next day, not a single student wasn't discussing the Prom in the hallways of Casper High. To be more specific, not a single student wasn't discussing the event that had taken place between Dash Baxter and Danny Fenton. Questions were flying left and right, with only rumours and speculation as answers. Did Danny initiate the dance? Or was it Dash? Was it really against his will? Was it serious or just a prank?

Danny kept his head low as he walked down the hall a little faster than usual, trying not to listen to the whispers that followed him. It took forever, but finally he saw Sam and Tucker waiting for him by his locker.

"There he is," Tucker said, grinning an obviously fake smile.

"Save it," Danny said, dejectedly. "What've you been telling them."

"They wouldn't stop asked us if Dash was telling the truth," Sam answered. "Everyone wants to know whether it was you or Dash that started it."

"And?" Danny asked, opening his locker.

"We say we don't know," Tucker answered. "Because we DON'T. What DID happen?"

"I don't know," Danny said, knocking his head against the side of his locker. "One minute I was getting rejected by Paulina and the next I was dancing with Dash."

"We sorta gathered that," Sam said. "But WHY did he grab you? Did he say anything?"

"Yeah, apparently he can't tell his own date from a dork like me."

Danny swung his locker shut, his books for his next class held under his arm. He started off for the classroom, Sam and Tucker in tow.

"So Dash makes a mistake and doesn't want anyone to notice, but everyone does anyway and he takes you down with him," Tucker summarized.

"Dang, dude. And you were doing so WELL until then."

"Well," Danny said, bringing his hand awkwardly up to the back of his neck, "it's not COMPLETELY his fault. I didn't do anything to help the situation, either."

"We get it," Sam said. "If you did, he'd have beaten you up anyway."

"It's not just that..."

Danny looked around at the staring people. They brought their voices down, not wanting others to hear.

"Look," Danny continued. "I don't know what it was last night, but Dash wasn't his regular self last night."

"You think someone spiked the punch?" Tucker asked. "'Cos I had like SEVEN cups before you guys showed up."

"It's not the punch," Danny said. "I think it was ME. Or HIM. Uh... US."

"Wait," Sam interrupted, holding up her hand. "Is this going where I think it's going?"

"Last night, Dash wasn't a bully anymore. He wasn't a jock, he was just... A guy."

"Yeah," Tucker added. "A GUY. I'm starting to think this is going down an awkward path."

"Dude," Danny frowned. "Don't be so closed-minded."

"Oh my god," Sam gasped. "It's TRUE, isn't it? You've got feelings for Dash!"

"Hey, I never said that!" Danny said. "I mean, I..."

Danny sighed. "Look, it's really weird for me, too. I mean, it feels like it did with Paulina..."

He looked up at Sam. "With YOU."

Elsewhere, Dash and Paulina were walking hand-in-hand down another hallway, nervously eying the students cupping their hands and whispering to each other.

"I don't get it," Paulina muttered to Dash through gritted, smiling teeth. "We're walking down the hallway together, why are they still talking?"

"I know," Dash agreed through a similar smile. "This is how it works, right? People in couples don't get talked about?"

"They do if they're not fooling anyone," Paulina said, her facade slipping. Dash started to frown through his false grin.

"Oh yeah? Well it's not me," he retorted.

"Well it's not ME, I'm convincing in ALL my relationships!"

"Well I guess you're just losing your TOUCH!"

By now, Dash and Paulina had stopped walking and were facing each other, all attempts to convey the 'happy couple' image abandoned. Almost on cue, they realized this, and looked around at the students watching them, not making a sound.

"Hey, shut up!" Dash yelled. The hallway continued to be silent.

"Come on," Dash said loudly, reaching out for Paulina's hand again, "... uh... 'SWEETIE'?"

"Real convincing," Paulina said through her new grin, taking his hand. They continued down the hallway, their steps just a little out of time with each other. Behind them, the students began to whisper anew, and by the time they had turned a corner were in full gossip mode.

"So, what now?" Tucker asked. He, Sam and Danny were still walking, trying to get more information out of the latter.

"I told you, I don't KNOW," Danny said, annoyed. "I barely even know what's happening NOW, how should I know what's gonna happen later?"

"Sorry," Sam said, "we're just... uh..."

"Concerned?" Tucker offered.

"Exactly. This situation's pretty delicate, if you go off making decisions on your own, who knows what kind of mess you'll get into."

"Hey, I can take care of myself just fine," Danny said, turning a corner.

The three of them stopped dead. At the other end of the hallway, so did Dash and Paulina.

The hallway went dead silent. Students looked left and right, anxiously awaiting the first move.

"I'm gonna have to call you back," one girl said into her phone before shutting it and tossing it over her shoulder.

Dash's heart was beating unnaturally fast from somewhere in his shoes. He wasn't prepared for this, not yet. He had been struggling all night and all morning with himself, he wasn't ready to actually FACE him!

"So," Tucker casually asked. "How are you gonna take care of THIS?"

"... easily," Danny said, both sounding and feeling quite uneasy.

Danny stepped forward, making his way towards dash. The tension in the hallway rose as he got closer and closer, Sam and Tucker close behind. Dash started to sweat, his expression betraying his attempt to appear calm.

Students leaned in as Danny got closer, closer... CLOSER.

"Hey Dash," he said, raising a hand. Dash stared into space, his mouth wide open, as Danny walked right past him.

Behind him, Sam and Tucker, their eyes trained on the ceiling, scuttled past as quickley as possible.

The crowd visibly deflated, held breaths where released and leaners stretching back to their regular standing positions. The whispering and talking resumed. Paulina nudged Dash, who hadn't moved since Danny had crossed the ten-foot mark, in the ribs to bring him back to reality.

"Smooth," Tucker said.

"Well what COULD I do?" Danny asked. "Confronted him about it? It's only been one day, I'm sure he's just as confused as I am."

"Maybe even more," Sam added. "You've at least had experience with the emotional side of dating. He's completely shallow, totally moronic and unlikely to even CONSIDER dealing with his feelings."

"Which makes it all the more weird that you have a thing for him in the first place," Tucker said.

"Hey, we don't know him that well," Danny frowned. "For all we know he's the sweetest guy in the world."

"Who tries to drown the Chess Club in the bathroom every Tuesday!" Tucker pleaded. "Seriously, Danny, are you SURE these feelings are real, or was I right about the punch?"

Danny hesitated, mulling things over in his head. He thought back to the dance, to Dash holding him in his arms. He remembered looking into his eyes, seeing him stare back, equally as deep, entranced, and confused...

"I'm sure," Danny said. "There was something there, and I'm not leaving this alone until it's resolved."

"Oh, like the hundreds of times Paulina's 'resolved' you?" Tucker asked.

"Tucker," Sam said, putting a hand on his shoulder. She turned back to Danny. "You're sure picked a hard one this time, Danny."

"What are you talking about?" Danny asked.

"Come on, dude," Sam smiled. "We've ALWAYS got your back when it comes to girls. Oh, uh... and guys, I guess."

"Thanks, but no thanks. This is something I gotta handle myself."

"You sure, dude?" Tucker asked. "You know if you get something wrong, you're gonna end up next to the Chess Club, right?"

Danny smiled. "Well if THAT's the case, I guess I COULD use a little help..."

Tucker thought for a moment.

"Go get 'em, buddy," he said, giving Danny a friendly pat on the shoulder and strutting off to class.

Back in the other hallway, Paulina was questioning Dash in front of his locker.

"So, what IS happening with you and Danny, anyway?" She asked.

"Uh, what do you mean?"

"Well, for starters you were dancing with Fenton after the music stopped, THEN you call me and ask to hang out more often-"

"Alright!" Dash finally whimpered, bringing his voice down low.

"Okay, I've dated plenty of hot girls, right?"

Paulina narrowed her eyes.

"Right! And I always thought that was how it worked, right? But last night, things got WEIRD. I had to dance with Fenton, but it started not feeling like I had to... it was like I WANTED to."

"You WANTED to dance with a geek?" Paulina asked.

"Don't call him that!" Dash cried. Paulina gasped, bringing her hands to her face.

"Agh! See?" Dash asked. "I'm a WRECK!"

"Wait," Paulina said, holding out her hands. "What do you mean, you WANTED to? Were you planning to trip him, or something?"

"No," Dash said, closing his locker and leaning against it. "I didn't want to do anything but stand there..."

He looked up at the ceiling, thinking. "It was... It was like all those other girls meant nothing to me. Dancing with Fenton was the first time anything's ever felt... RIGHT, y'know? Like it WORKED. Do you understand what I'm saying, Paulina?"

"I have no idea," she answered.

"Aw, but SOMEONE has to! I don't even know!"

"Look," Paulina said, putting her hands on her hips. "I don't wanna keep hanging out with someone who has feelings for a NERD."

"I SAID don't CALL him that!" Dash said, leaning forward menacingly, but stopped when he realized what she had said.

"Wait, are you DUMPING me?" He begged, grabbing her by the shoulders. "You CAN'T! Who's gonna stop people thinking I've got a thing for Fenton?"

"Sorry Dash," Paulina said, pushing his hands off her. "I'm all for helping people out with their image, but when it starts being for a geek like Fenton, you're on your own."

With that, Paulina spun around and left down the hallway, alone.

"W-wait!" Dash called after her, but she was already turning a corner. The students in the hallway turned to face him instead of her.

"Mind your own business!" Dash yelled before running in the opposite direction.

The classroom was filled with the sound of pencils scratching at paper. Danny sat at his table, eyes on his paper but his mind somewhere completely unrelated.

He took a moment to sneak a sidwards glance to the other side of the classroom, where Dash was finishing his own test, frowning as he tried his hardest to not look in Danny's direction.

He thought about what he'd said to Tucker earlier that day. It's only been one day, he'd said. He couldn't try to confront him after ONE DAY, could he?

He's probably just as confused and troubled, he thought.

But WHEN, a voice in the back of his head asked. When IS a good time to talk to him?

Do I even WANT to talk to him?

Don't even TRY, dude, you know you want to.

I can't, not until he's ready, too.

If he's feeling the same as you are, the voice in Danny's head asked him, wouldn't that mean he wanted to talk, too?

Danny looked at his notebook. He reached over with his pencil and hastily wrote something out.

"Mr Lancer," he asked, raising his hand. "Can I be excused?"

"What FOR, Mr Fenton," the teacher moaned.

"Uh," Danny hesitated. "Bathroom?"

"Make it quick," Lancer sighed. Danny stood, pushing a folded-up piece of paper a little deeper into his pocket as he made for the door.

Dash turned his head away as Danny walked across the room. He wasn't going to let ANYONE think he was hung up on Danny Fenton. Not a chance.

Even you?

Dash blinked. Yeah, even me, he told himself. Because I'm NOT?

Then why've you been thinking about him all day?

Have not!

Have too! What about all the stuff you said to Paulina?

I-I wasn't thinking straight! Maybe I drank some bad punch?

Sure, Dash, SURE.

SHUT UP! I am DASH BAXTER! I'm the quarterback of the school football team, the most popular guy in school! I do NOT have a CRUSH on DANNY FENTON!

Whatever, dude.

Dash started to write the answers to his test with a bit too much enthusiasm, causing the tip of his pencil to snap off.

DANG IT!

************************8

After class, Dash picked up his things and went straight for the door. He'd managed to avoid almost all visual contact with Danny since the hallway incident, and he wasn't planning on breaking the trend.

He headed to his locker, trying to ignore the talking all around him. Don't people ever stop talking, he asked himself. Come on, this isn't even that interesting!

He reached his locker and swung it open, but paused when he noticed something that wasn't in there the last time he checked.

A note. He took it out and opened it, looking around to make sure nobody was looking.

"Meet me here after school ends," the note read. "We need to talk. DF."

Dash crumpled the note in his hand, frowning intensely.

No WAY I'm talking to YOU, FENTON. There's nothing to talk about. You didn't let go of me whent the music stopped, so this is YOUR problem, not mine!

You didn't let go, either.

THIS DOESN'T CONCERN YOU, ME!

Dude, even I think that was too dumb for us.

Whatever, Dash thought as he slammed his locker shut again. I'm not going. There's no need for any talking.

... I mean, so what if I keep thinking about you? You're the one who ruined my reputation! Unless it's an apology, I don't need to listen.

So what if what we had felt different than anything I've ever felt before? I've never danced with another dude before, that's it! Nothing to discuss!

Dash stopped in his tracks. His frown faded for a moment.

... FINE, he thought, setting off again. But don't expect me to get all mushy like in the movies!

Class was over and the last of the stragglers had just left the building. Dash leaned against his locker, his arms tightly folded. His eyes flicked left and right, hoping nobody would come along and ask him what he was waiting for.

He glanced at his watch, revealing ten minutes had passed since school had officially ended. Where IS he, he thought angrily. He stood up fully and looked down the hallway, seeing nobody.

I bet he chickened out, he thought. No way a wuss like FENTON could do something this-

"Hey Dash."

"HUAGH!"

Dash spun around, completely caught off-guard. Behind him, Danny stood, frozen in place.

"Sorry," he said. Dash said nothing. He wasn't even sure he COULD talk to Danny, let alone know what he would say.

"Look, I'll go first," Danny said. "I know things've been really weird since last night, but that's gotta be for a reason. That dance meant something to me, and it clearly meant something to you, too."

"No WAY," Dash said, drawing himself taller. "The only thing that happened last night is YOU wouldn't let go of ME after the song ended!"

"You were being the man!" Danny retorted. "YOU were holding ME!"

"Wh-whatever! If YOU felt something then, that's YOUR problem. It meant NOTHING to me, so leave me alone!"

"Why is this so hard for you to accept, Dash," Danny cried, lifting his finger and stepping closer to Dash. Dash took a step back, but almost immediately stepped forward again, trying to regain the higher ground.

"There's nothing to accept! You're just some loser with a crush!"

"Oh, I'M the one with the crush? YOU'RE the one who couldn't even BREATHE properly when you saw me in the hallway!"

"I-I'd just come from practice!"

"It was ten in the morning!"

"Ever heard of morning practice!?"

Danny and Dash were almost nose-to-nose, their rage growing more powerful with each exchange.

"Just STOP, Dash!" he finally said, throwing his arms in the air. "There's nobody else here! It's JUST US. You don't need to keep DOING this!"

Dash's anger started to subside as he realized the truth in Danny's statement. There was no point hiding anything, not from Danny.

"Just tell the truth," Danny said, almost pleading. "I know there was something there last night. I felt it. Did you feel it too?"

Dash looked everywhere he could that wasn't Danny.

"... I... maybe..."

"Maybe?"

"So what if there was? What does it mean? I'm a jock, you're a nerd! Th-there's nothing there for either of us."

"There's YOU. There's ME. What more do we want?"

Dash looked up. For the first time since the hallway, he met Danny's gaze. He felt something in his chest jump, and suddenly he was back in the gym, bathing in the music, alone with Danny Fenton...

"I... I don't know what I want..."

"Well... I do."

Danny stepped forward, lifting his hand. Without breaking eye contact, he reached out for Dash's shoulder. Dash's hands twitched, about to reach out for him...

"No," he said. Danny blinked.

"No? But we-"

"I said NO, Danny," Dash said, pushing Danny's hand away. He turned and started walking swiftly down the hallway.

"Dash!"

Dash paused at the end of the hallway. He turned back and saw Danny standing where he had left him, alone and confused.

He closed his eyes, stepping out of sight, around the corner.

Danny listened to Dash's footsteps echoing through the school as he left the building, leaving him all alone.

He brought his hand to his face. "STUPID," he said to himself. "Stupid, stupid, STUPID."


	3. Part 3

"I'm sorry, Danny," Tucker said, patting his friend on the shoulder.

"Yeah," Sam agreed. "These things take time, but you'll get over it. In time."

"It's fine," Danny said, brushing it off. "It's not about 'getting over it' any more.

It was the next day, the day after Danny had met Dash in front of his locker. The day after Dash rejected him, as far as Danny could tell, for superficial reasons. The three were sitting at their usual table in the cafeteria, a significantly lower number of observers than Danny had the day before. People seemed to be getting over the incident at Prom. And so, apparently, was Danny.

"Whatever 'feelings'," he continued, lifting his fingers in air-quotes, "I had for Dash, nothing's gonna happen."

"Interesting view," Sam said. "It's strange how you've never seen it that way with PAULINA in the what, three years you've known her?"

"Paulina was different, she was just a girl you admire from afar. Something actually HAPPENED with Dash. It's different."

Tucker raised his finger to his chin. "So you're just gonna ignore everything about him because he-"

"I'm not IGNORING it," Danny interrupted. "I'm just... washing my hands of it. If Dash Baxter doesn't care, then neither do I."

Danny wasn't lying, this time. He'd denied feelings before, for Paulina, for Valerie, Sam for quite a long time, and now Dash. The weird thing was, this time it was genuine. Dash could be completely in love with him for all he cared, but if he wasn't going to do anything about it, Danny just didn't care. He wasn't going to let himself get hung up on someone who wasn't going to try. Not anymore.

"You're being surprisingly mature about this," Tucker commented. "You sure you're okay?"

Danny returned to eating with a frown on his face his friends took to mean "don't talk to me for a while". They obliged, Tucker albeit after rolling his eyes.

"HEY FENTON," a voice suddenly rang across the cafeteria. Danny didn't have enough time to turn around before a shooting pain went through the back of his head.

"OW," he yelled, food spilling out of his mouth and back onto his tray. The room erupted in laughter, some people even pointing at him. He turned around and saw Dash smirking at him from beside the 'popular' table, his fingers held out with a rubber band stretched between them. He sat back down beside Kwan, returning an offered high-five.

Danny scowled, turning around to look for what Dash had just slingshotted his way.

"You okay, dude?" Tucker asked.

"That looked like it hurt!" Sam agreed.

"It DID," Danny answered, rising from under the table, a folded piece of paper in his hand. He noticed something written on it in pen.

"Great," Tucker sighed as Danny unfolded the projectile. "Now pieces of PAPER can be used for torture. Tests just got that much more dangerous!"

Danny ignored him, scanning the note, written in an untidy scribble that could only belong to a jock like Dash.

"Dear Fenton," Danny read silently. "I'm sorry about yesterday, but I can't do this. I can't deel (Wow, Danny thought) with this, whatever it is. No hard feelings. Dash."

Danny's frown became even more pronounced as he crumpled the note in his hand.

"Uh, Danny?" Sam asked, seeing his expression.

"Be right back," Danny answered, standing up. Sam and Tucker stared as he walked towards Dash's table, biting their lips and wondering if Danny had decided to end it all right then and there through provoked assault.

Dash noticed Danny walking towards him and tried to hide his horror.

Kwan was the first at the table to speak. "What do YOU want, Fent-"

"Nothing with you," Danny interrupted. He reached the table and grabbed Dash by the back of his collar. "Outside, Dash," he said, pulling him back.

"W-wait," Dash yelled, nearly tripping as he tried to step away from his seat. To the rest of the table, and indeed the entire cafeteria full of students,

Danny dragged Dash out the double doors and into the hallway.

For a few seconds, every eye in the room was on that exit.

Then, the silence was broken and everyone went back to eating and talking. Everyone except Tucker and Sam, that is, who continued to eye the doors nervously.

"SERIOUSLY?" Danny cried. Dash lifted his hands and made a 'shush'ing signal.

"Not so loud," he said.

"I can't BELIEVE you," Danny continued, admittedly lowering his voice. "You can't just go back to torturing me like that! ESPECIALLY when it's to deliver notes!"

"What else do I DO?" Dash asked. "Just GIVE them to you? That's the whole POINT of sending it in the first place!"

"What, you don't want to be seen with me? This is STILL about IMAGE to you!?"

"It's been that way from the start! I just wanted to say-"

"WHAT, Dash? WHAT do you want to say?"

Dash hesitated. His thoughts over the last two days played over and over in his head. Every imagined conversation, every internal struggle was being sifted through for something, ANYTHING to say...

"I... I FEEL something... but, I can't do anything about it..."

"Ugh," Danny said, completely ignoring Dash's attempt at sensitivity and raising his voice again. "It's always with your stupid reputation!"

"My reputation's all I HAVE, Danny!" Dash cried. "Without that, I'm NOTHING here!"

"Nobody's EVER NOTHING, Dash! There's ALWAYS someone who doesn't care about who you know, or what you do! If you'd just DEAL with this, that someone'd probably be ME!"

"I-I don't-"

"What, you don't KNOW? You don't know if I'm ENOUGH, or you don't know if you even WANT to!?"

Dash stared. Danny was stepping closer, lifting his finger in his face. It was yesterday all over again.

"I don't know... what to..."

Danny was too close, now. If he wanted to, Dash could've reached out and grabbed him, thrown him down the hallway or just shoved him to the ground.

"What to DO? Here's a hint, Dash, something I've been telling you since the start! Why don't you just STOP with all this IMAGE nonsense and do something you ACTUALLY WANT TO FOR A CHANGE!"

Finally, Dash acted. He reached out and grabbed Danny by the shoulders. Danny's rage instantly dissipated, to be replaced with fear. He realized just how vaulnerable he'd made himself, going on the offensive like that. Nothing to stop Dash from doing the same, nothing to stop him from...

Dash pushed his face against Danny's, forcing their lips to touch. Danny's eyes widened as he realized what was happening. His legs gave way out of sheer shock and confusion, but Dash had yet to let go of him. Danny stumbled, but Dash stepped forward to accomodate it, spinning Danny into the wall.

Danny felt the warmth of Dash's lips agains his, his breath rushing from his nose... he hesitated before returning the kiss with as much enthusiasm, raising his arms to pull Dash even closer by his midriff.

Hours, days, years could have passed for them, but in reality less than a minute had passed when they finally broke free.  
Slowly, they opened their eyes. Danny looked up at Dash, frowning in confusion and sadness.

"I don't know what to do," he finished, looking at the ground, still holding Danny in his arms.

Danny looked down, too. He felt terrible about the way he'd just treated Dash, yelling at him to make a decision, one he should have known to be the most difficult thing in the world for him to even consider. And he HAD considered it. He could feel it then, Dash had been even more torn up and obsessive over this whole situation than HE had been.

The only friends Dash had were only there because he was popular, and even a HINT of association with a loser like him could be enough to land him in the 'lame zone'. Dash was treading a fine line just by being in the same ROOM as him.

"I guess," Danny said, letting go of Dash and easing his way past him, "you think about this one more time."

Dash looked up as Danny walked back towards the cafeteria, worried and scared.

"You can either make this the end, stay the shallow jock and keep your image... or you can be happy."

Danny reached the doors and lifted his hand to push them open. He looked back at Dash and saw the look on his face, the turmoil in his eyes...

He lifted his other hand to his chin and held it, walking into the cafeteria. People looked up and saw Danny Fenton walking back to his table after a confrontation with Dash Baxter, massaging his chin and sporting a defeated expression.

"Oh my god," Sam gasped, seeing Danny approach.

"Dude, what happened!?" Tucker asked.

"Nothing," Danny answered. "It's an act."

"What?" Sam asked.

"It's... complicated."

"So, did you figure things out?" Tucker asked. "Do you have to move to Australia, or-"

"It's fine," Danny said, looking sadly down at his now-cold lunch. "Everything's fine."

Danny walked down the hallway towards his next class, Sam and Tucker elsewhere. It was another day later, the Prom incident all but forgotten to the teenaged masses. He turned a corner and, as he had expected, there was Dash, opening his locker, thinking about the decision he'd made not so long ago.

Dash looked up and saw Danny pause before continuing down the hall. For a few seconds, their eyes met. The sea of students couldn't care less about the two, having heard nothing of value in days. Whatever was happening between those two, it couldn't be more important than Berme's new CD, being officially released that day.

Danny looked up, ever so hopeful, thinking that maybe Dash had made the right decision. He got closer, letting the vaguest of smiles play about his face...

Dash looked away, breaking eye contact, back to his locker to pick up his books for his next class.

Danny paused for a moment, staring where Dash's eyes had been locked on his just moments before, before lowering his head again and continuing along his way, alone.

Dash spied Danny moving on out of the corner of his eye, sighing sadly. He stared for a few moments at the picture stuck at the back of his locker, a smiling shot of Danny, his two friends torn off the sides. Dash lifted a book book so old it looked like it had never been read, re-hiding the photo from prying eyes and closed his locker, leaving for class, just as alone as Danny Fenton.

Leaning against her locker, Sam stared at Dash and Danny walking in opposite directions, each looking as sad as each other. She looked at her feet and started thinking.

Wait, she thought. Don't start scheming, Sam, it NEVER works out.

Well, maybe this time it will!

Danny said he didn't want anyone playing cupid.

And look where THAT got him.

Sam rolled her eyes and set off for HER class, mentally scolding herself for letting herself talk herself into doing something that would help Dash Baxter.

Dash looked worriedly around the hallway, making his way towards the teacher's lounge. He looked down at the note he'd found in his locker, written in a completely different handwriting than Danny's, telling him to meet them for some 'fun'. There were too many notes going around, Dash thought to himself. You'd think there'd be more note-passing in an actual classroom than through people's lockers.

Suddenly, a hand shot out and grabbed Dash. He cried out in shock as someone pulled him into the janitor's cupboard, jumping back out again and closing the door.

"H-hey!"

A metallic clicking sound signalled the worst. Dash frantically twisted the doorknob, but to no avail. He was locked in.

"Let me out," he yelled, slamming his fists against the door. "I don't like dark places!"

"Not a chance," a familiar voice called from outside. "I got BIG plans for you in there."

"M-Mason!?"

"Sit tight for a few minutes, okay?" Sam asked before running off.

"Wait!" Dash yelled.

"BE A LITTLE QUIET, TOO!" Sam called back, her voice fainter already. Dash slumped against the wall, wondering what in the world this girl was planning, why it involved him, and what he was going to do to her when he got out of this dingy storeroom.

Sam made for the cafeteria, where lunch was mostly over already. She ran in and headed straight for Tucker and Danny, who looked up as she burst in.

"Sam?" Danny asked. "What're you-"

"Danny," Sam said in a low voice, faking exasperation. "There's some... TROUBLE, in the teachers' lounge!"

Danny stood up straighter, at attention. "I'm on it."

As he headed for the doors, Tucker made to stand up, but Sam motioned for him not to. She held her hand up for him to 'stop' and ran after Danny.

"... Well, mystery food," Tucker poking whatever was on his plate with a fork, "looks like it's just you and me."

Danny and Sam ran through the hallways, aiming for the teacher's lounge.

"It was right over here," Sam called, turning left.

"What? But the teacher's lounge is THAT way," Danny called, but followed her anyway.

"It, uh... moved!" Sam said. "It was already on the way when I left it!"

Sam skidded to a halt outside the janitor's closet, Danny following suit.

"Where is it?" Danny asked, looking around. Inside the closet, Dash looked up, hearing voices.

"There it is!" Sam called, pointing behind Danny. He spun around, lifting his fists, but saw nothing. Behind him, Sam was unlocking the closet.

"Sam? You sure it was there?"

"Fenton?" Dash asked from inside. Danny turned around in shock, seeing Sam holding the door to the janitor's closet open, Dash sitting inside in confusion.

"Dash? Sam, what are you-"

Danny stopped mid-sentence as Sam grabbed him by the waist and practically FLUNG him into the closet, nearly colliding with Dash.

"Agh," he yelled, massaging his shoulder. "Sam, what are you-"

The door slammed shut and was locked once again.

"Aw, DANGIT," Dash yelled. "AGAIN?"

"Again?" Danny asked.

"You're not coming out," Sam said from outside, "not until you figure things out."

"SAM," Danny called, "we HAVE figured things out! TWICE!"

"Oh please, the talking's not over until everyone agrees to the result."

"I DID agree," Danny yelled. "He made the decision and I'm okay with it, that's agreeing!"

"Well I DON'T," Sam said. "Danny, we practically broke up JUSt before you had your thing with Dash, do you REALLY think you'd bounce back that quickly with just anyone?"

"You said YOU could!" Danny retorted. "I COULD'VE with Paulina!"

"I would've said ANYTHING to have a smooth breakup! And were you REALLY trying with Paulina?"

"Uh.. NO, but that was because of Dash!"

"I'm right here, y'know," Dash said from behind Danny.

"Face it, Danny," Sam continued, "you're not happy with Dash's decision. And Dash, YOU'RE not happy with it, either."

The two turned to each other, pausing before looking away again.

"I don't hear talking," Sam sang from outside.

"Okay!" Danny called. He turned back to Dash.

"Look, I lied. I'm not okay with this. I really thought... WANTED, you to choose me over your image."

"It's not ABOUT my reputation, Danny," Dash said. "It's about what'd happen if I ruined it."

"Whatever the reason, it still hurt. When you brushed me off like that, today. Not even SAYING anything..."

"I COULDN'T say anything! I didn't know what to say! I STILL don't!"

"Well here's your chance," Danny said, sitting on a crate, folding his arms. Dash looked down at him, lost for words.

Again, Dash let every conversation he'd had in his head in the past few days play through again, trying again to find the words to express what he really wanted to say to Danny. Unfortunately for him, his brain wasn't keeping up as much as he needed it to.

"That's what I thought," Danny said after Dash had been silent for long enough. He turned on his crate and lowered his head, frowning into the dark.

Dash stared for a moment before deflating, looking at the ground again.

Outside, Sam's excitement faded. She was so sure this would make progress, at least get Dash to give Danny a proper answer. It looked like it wasn't going to happen, though. She reached out for the doorknob, key in hand...

"Wait," Dash suddenly said. Sam stopped, moving the key back from the lock. Inside, Danny perked up a little, caught a little off-guard by Dash's sudden change.

Dash steeled himself. Inside his head, pieces were lining up. They might be out of place and jumbled, but it was enough to try.

"For as long as I can remember, it's always been about being cool. I wasn't the smartest, but I could play football, and that was good enough for them. As long as I had that, and kept knocking others down, I'd always have a place here, always have friends.

"But it SUCKS, Danny. They're all as phony as me. We don't really CARE about each other, we only care that we're there at all. And if we do ONE THING to ruin it, it all goes away. We have to do everything right, everything everyone else is doing, but BETTER and COOLER, so we're always on top.

"It's SUPID and I HATE it, dude, and it SUCKS how everyone's obsessed with it. Even ME."  
Danny turned and looked back up at Dash, who had the same look of fear and sadness as he did yesterday.

"Why do you keep doing it, then?" Danny asked. Dash looked away, back at the ground.

"Because I don't know what to do without it..."

Danny stood up and stepped towards Dash. "If they left you," he said, putting a comforting hand on his shoulder, "I'd be there. I'd help you out."

Dash looked back at Danny, their eyes meeting once again. It felt like every time they did, they were back at Prom, still dancing in the middle of the dancefloor without a care in the world but for staying that way forever.

"Heck," Danny laughed, "I've survived as a loser for so long, I'm probably the best teacher you're EVER gonna get."

"You're not a loser," Dash said.

Danny stared. Dash stared back. For a moment, they had every worry, every fear in the world, for themselves and each other... and they weren't scared a bit.

As if on cue, they both leaned in, their lips meeting for the second time in two days. Dash wrapped his arms around Danny's small frame, Danny gripping Dash's letterman jacket. They kissed more passionately than they had before, caring even less about what the consequences would be. For them, this was all there was, and ever should be. Just this, Dash and Danny, intertwined...

Outside, a bell rang. Their lips broke apart as they heard the masses of students filling the hallway outside. They look at the door and realized the position they were in.

A clicking sound. Sam had unlocked the door.

"Last chance," they heard her say, her footsteps fading away.

Both Dash and Danny knew what she meant. Last chance to decide what they were. Do they wait until the crowd leaves and keep their images, or do they risk it all and walk out of there, together?

"Okay," Danny said, finally letting go of Dash and pacing around the room. "We just hope that the janitor doesn't come in here, wait until everybody's in class, then say we had to go to the bathroom."

"What?" Dash asked. Danny paused for a moment.

"It's... okay," he said. "I get it. Really, I do. I don't wanna ruin your reputation and cost you all your friends."

Dash looked at Danny, who smiled sadly, extending his hand. "We'll always have the janitor's closet, right?"

Dash frowned. Danny did too, quizzically.

Dash took Danny's hand. Danny made to shake it, but Dash did something completely different.

He turned to the door and pushed it open, stepping into the crowd and dragging Danny behind him.

The hallway went silent.

Gum fell out of mouths. Books were dropped. One girl's phone slipped out of her hand as whoever was on the other line started asking if she'd been cut off.

Danny looked around, seeing hundreds of faces, hundreds of reactions to the sight of him coming out of a janitor's closet, holding hands with Dash.

"What're YOU looking at," Dash yelled to the crowd as a whole, and set off down the hallway, still holding onto Danny. Danny stumbled but ran a little faster, catching up with him and continuing to walk, side by side.

Whispers began to blanket the hallways of Casper High, getting louder the further Dash and Danny got from them. By the time they had turned the corner, the whispers had become speech, the student body alive with the gossip of Danny Fenton getting together with Dash Baxter.

Neither of whom cared one single bit.


	4. Bonus 1

Danny pushed his bedroom door open and entered, his hunch more pronounced and his tired expression already answering Tucker's question.

"... so?" He asked, getting up from Danny's bed and standing next to Sam. "How'd it go?"

Danny collapsed into his pillow and made a loud groaning sound.

"That bad, huh," Sam said, sitting back down next to him.

"It wasn't BAD," Danny said, lifting his head back up. "It's just Dash is so... DASH."

"Gee," Sam said, rolling her eyes. "You're just realizing this NOW?"

Danny continued, ignoring Sam's comment. "It's been really weird, changing from getting shoved into lockers to goin' to a movie together, the whole night felt so STRESSED. I mean, I knew I had nothing to worry about, and he was really sweet about everything, it's just now we're ALONE together so much, the reality's starting to sink in."

"Is that it?" Tucker asked. "'Cos if THAT'S the only problem you have on a first date, you've got NOTHING to worry about. Like, FOREVER."

"It's not just that," Danny continued. "Remember when we started this whole thing and it seemed like everything would change, like HE would change? Turns out he's exactly the same guy, just without the hate-crush on me."

"What are you saying?" Sam asked.

"I'm SAYING," Danny answered, getting up off the bed and pacing frustratedly, "Dash is still a total moron who can't keep his mouth shut and can't help himself from being as rude and mean as he possibly can be."

"Did he try to flush the usher down the toilet?" Tucker asked.

"No, but if I hadn't been there I'm SURE he would've gotten to that stage eventually!"

"Calm down," Sam said noticing Danny's clenched fists and jaw. She lead Danny back towards the bed and made him sit back down.

"Okay," she said. "Just tell us what happened."

Danny sighed before starting. "It started out okay, he met me here and we walked to the theatre together. It was nice an' all, but we didn't have that much to talk about. We tried, but every time we started talking we found a new thing only one of us liked. Eventually we got talkin' about video games and that lasted us until we arrived.

"Once we were there, he kept making really mean jokes about a lot of people, I think he was trying to make me laugh but he wasn't doin' too well. I kept telling him to knock it off but he never remembered for very long.

"And ALL through the movie, he kept laughing WAY too loudly at every little thing, and he wouldn't stop his stupid jokes, and he kept throwing popcorn at the people in front of us, and-"

"Dude," Tucker said, looking at the pillow Danny was sqeezing hard enough to tear it apart. Danny looked down at it in his arms and relaxed his grip.

"He couldn't even count the change right," he finished, throwing the pillow across the room.

"Okay," Sam began. "You've clearly gotten the wrong idea of this whole 'dating Dash' thing. People don't just CHANGE after getting together with someone, no matter HOW groundbreaking it was, social-wise."

"Yeah," Tucker agreed, "none of this is surprising me in the LEAST. It IS Dash, Danny."

"I know," Danny said, "but I REALLY wanted them to!"

"Face it, dude. Dash is Dash. If you can't deal with him, there's no point stayin' together."

"Tucker!" Sam said.

"I'm just sayin'!"

"Guys!" Danny interrupted. "I'm not gonna break up with him!"

"I never said you SHOULD," Tucker said. "We've just gotta find better ways to deal with him, is all."

"... 'We'?"

Tucker blinked. "Whuh? Oh, uh..."

"Ugh," Sam muttered, rolling her eyes again. "Come ON, Danny, THIS of all things should've been obvious enough. We're not that psyched about hangin' out with Dash any time soon."

"What?" Danny asked, "how can you SAY that!"

"It might be the hundred or so bowls of toilet water clouding my judgement," Tucker said, frowning, "but I'm not that fond of him, no."

"Come on, he wouldn't do anything to you guys! You're my FRIENDS, he wouldn't go NEAR you."

"Not the point, Danny," Sam said. "It's the fact that he DOES hurt people. We're just not comfortable with that."

"But he DOESN'T! I mean, he HASN'T, since we've-"

"You said it yourself, dude," Tucker interrupted, "if you hadn't been there, he would've-"

"I was just being dramatic!"

"GUYS," Sam said, lifting her hands. "Just STOP. Tucker, it's not our place to start insulting Danny's boyfriend."

"Woah," Danny said, "he's not my BOYFRIEND, we're just-"

"And DANNY," Sam continued, "all we want is for you to see our side of this."

"... fine. I guess it could be a little awkward. Look, at lunch tomorrow, do you want me to-"

"No," Tucker said, "it's fine. We'll deal."

"It's getting late," Sam said, making for the door. "We'll see you tomorrow, alright?"

"Yeah," Danny said. "Seeya."

"Bye, dude," Tucker said. He and Sam left Danny alone in his room, where he rolled onto his back and stared at his ceiling.

He thought more about the night, about Dash's behaviour. He HAD been trying to hold his hand during the movie, and listed to Danny's rant about NASA on the way there, even though he CLEARLY wasn't interested... and that moment before Danny left him outside after he dropped him off. What he was saying, that could've been an apology. Danny had been too annoyed to pay much attention to him and had said goodbye without answering him.  
Danny lifted his hand to his forehead absently, thinking about the night. Dash had been Dash... but not the WHOLE time.

Tucker dropped his tray on the table and let the 'food' scatter and fall across it.

"I hate Monday lunches," he said, frowning and sitting down beside Sam.

"Would it REALLY KILL you to eat some vegetables once in a while?" she asked.

"Um, YES?" Tucker answered. "Without my daily serving of meat, I'll go into withdrawals!"

"It's true," Danny said, smiling, "I've seen it."

"Carnivores," Sam mumbled.

Between her eating her food, Tucker examining his food, and Danny facing the complete opposite direction, nobody was watching when Dash entered the cafeteria.

It wasn't until he was leaving the food line that Sam finally noticed, elbowing Tucker and motioning to the both of them. Danny's face lit up a little as he saw Dash walk towards them, but his smile faded when he realized Dash was passing the popular kids' table.

"Hey," Star said loudly as Dash approached them. "Don't even THINK you're sitting with US today!"

"Yeah," a guy in a football jacket called out. "LOSERS aren't allowed here, only COOL kids!"

Dash continued walking, not even looking in their direction until he had passed them, when he glanced to the side with a sad expression on his face.

"Di-Did he just IGNORE us!?" Star asked, shocked. "Don't INORE us, Dash!"

"Star," Kwan said, "we're not meant to talk to him!"

"I KNOW," Star complained, "but NOBODY ignores ME!"

Dash slid onto the seat beside Dash, hunching a little. "Hey," he said, not looking up from his food. Tucker and Sam exchanged glances, the vibe they usually felt around their special little table gone without a trace.

"You okay?" Danny asked, looking up at him.

Dash looked down and smiled weakly. "You were right," he said. "Gone."

Danny lifted his arm and patted Dash on the shoulder. "Aw, forget about them," he said, smiling. "They're not cool enough for you, anyway."

Dash returned Danny's smile and playfully bumped his shoulder against him. "Thanks.

"Hey, about last night again, I'm still sorry about... uh, everything?"

"Apology accepted," Danny said. "We'll work on your behaviour another time."

"Aw, 'work'!?"

"YES, work!"

Sam and Tucker watched the exchange, stunned. Danny and Dash having a normal conversation was strange enough, seeing them in THIS context was even stranger. But what was really view-changing about seeing them that day, was that despite what they had heard last night, and everthing they knew, here was Dash Baxter, apologising to Danny, and showing that he cared.

Sam turned to Tucker and nudged him with her elbow. He saw her raising her hand to her mouth and leaned in to hear her whisper.

"Look at them," she said. "They're so... so..."

"Friendly?" Tucker offered, whispering past his hand, too.

"Yeah," Sam agreed. They looked at each other and smiled.

"They're whispering," Danny said, pointing at the two. "They're talkin' about us!"

Dash turned to Sam and Tucker and leant forward. "What're you sayin'!?" he demanded, failing to conceal the nervousness in his voice. All three of them picked up on it, not that he was worried about what they were saying, but about addressing Tucker and Sam in such a way: friendly.

"Just that you two are completely adorable," Sam said, glancing at Tucker, a grin on her face. Tucker returned the look, the two of them deciding that maybe, just maybe, Dash was starting to change for the better.

Dash glanced at Danny, who gave him a thumbs-up, signalling he was doing well. Dash smiled and felt his cheeks go red.


	5. Bonus 2

Danny's body slammed against the metal wall of lockers, his head swinging after it. He clutched that side of his face in a vain attempt to ease the pain and tried to keep moving.

"I SAID," the brown-haired jock repeated, grabbing Danny by the shoulders for a second time, "WHERE do you think YOU'RE going, FAIRY!"

Danny was swung into the other side of the almost-empty hallway, into another set of lockers. He gritted his teeth and tried to break into a run, but he tripped over a previously unseen, extended foot, and fell to the floor.

Above him, the jock and Kwan, the owner of the foot, laughed cruelly. Danny tried not to look at them, acknowledge them in any way. He couldn't help but let out a whimper of pain as he tried to get to his feet, however, which was enough to satiate the bullies' desire for a response.

"Hehe," Kwan laughed, "you called him a fairy because only GIRLS like boys, right?"

"That's the joke," the other jock answered, and the meatheads laughed again. Danny attempted to use their hesitation as a window of opportunity to escape, but by the time he was on his feet they were already walking towards him again, towering over his small frame.

"Go away," he said, despite his desire to ignore the brutes.

"Or WHAT," the jock asked, pushing him against the wall again and facing him. "You'll try to KISS ME?"

"A bonehead mess like YOU?" Danny asked, smirking. "I'd be surprised if your MOM wanted to kiss you."

The jock's evil grin turned into an evil scowl, and Danny was thrown to the side, the side of his head making a sickening sound as it connected with the floor. Danny felt the pain course through his body, and found difficulty in standing again.

"You wanna say that AGAIN," the jock continued, "you little-"

The jock was twisted around by the shoulder and a fist swung into his cheek, causing him to stumble and loose his footing, falling to the ground. Kwan stepped backwards when Dash leaned in towards him, too.

"You got a PROBLEM with DANNY, guys?" Dash asked, frowning at the two. The jock was massaging his chin as he stood, staring angrily at Dash.

"So what if we DO," he retorted. "'S not right, Baxter, the kid needs to learn to stop throwing it in everyone's face!"

"And how does he do THAT," Dash asked, tightening his fist again. "Hangin' around with ME? You got a problem with Fenton, you got a problem with the DASH."

"What if we DO have a problem with 'THE DASH'," Kwan added, lifting his fingers in air-quotes.

The first jock's scowl changed back into a cruel smirk. "Yeah," he said. "What if the BOTH of us did?"

"Oh, right," Dash said in mock realization. "Two against one, easy fight, right? WRONG."

Dash lifted his fist and grabbing the jock's collar, pushing him back into the lockers. "D'you know who you're talkin' to? Ya' think you got a chance?"

Dash pushed him to the side and let go of his collar. The jock scowled even more and started to back away, not taking his eyes off Dash, before turning completely around and leaving. Kwan took a last look at Dash and Danny before following him.

Dash turned to Danny and saw him still on the floor. His expression melted into concern and he held out his hand. "Aw man," he said. "You okay, dude?"

Danny frowned, but took the hand and let himself be helped to his feet. Dash held his shoulders and looked over his face. "Did they hit you, shove you, what happened?"

"I'm FINE," Danny said, looking away. Dash blinked. He let go of Danny but he didn't turn back.

"You sure?" he asked. "I didn't do anything, did I?"

"No," Danny said, sarcastically, turning around. "You helped me when I was in trouble, that's what you're supposed to do, right?"

"Right," Dash said, uneasy. "Then..."

"Look," Danny said, turning back around. "You didn't have to do the whole 'I'll beat you all up' thing, okay?"

"What was I SUPPOSED to do?" Dash asked. "They're FOOTBALL players, they don't listen to WORDS 'n stuff! It's all action and REaction."

"Well it's NOT COOL," Danny said. "I don't like seeing you like that. It reminds me of when..."

An uncomfortable tension suddenly filled the air. Dash's eyes lost their intensity. Danny lowered his gaze even closer to the ground.

"... back when, we weren't on better terms," he finished, gripping his shoulder where he had connected with the locker, not entirely out of physical pain.

Dash looked down at Danny, who was still turned away from him, holding his shoulder and looking sadder than he had in a very long time. He put his hand on his shoulder and hunched forward, bringing himself closer to his level. "Hey," he said, to draw Danny's eye. Danny obliged, finally making eye contact.

"I don't care how it happens," he told him, "but I'm gonna stop them hurting you. If I can't beat 'em up, then I'll just have to stand in their way."

"I can take care of myself," Danny said. "I've done it for YEARS."

"Well I don't want you to!" Dash said. "I mean, not HAVE to! I wanna... I wanna HELP, okay? I wanna be the one who takes care of... things!"

Danny looked away again. He imagined Dash beating up the other jocks. It wasn't an enjoyable thought. Dash was violent, angry, easy to set off. The idea of him going off at everyone who annoyed him AND the ones who picked on Danny... there'd barely be anyone in the whole school who he wouldn't take on in a fight.

Wait, he thought. Barely anyone in the whole school. Dash'd take on anyone if it meant keeping something safe, whether it's his own ego or someone he cared about. Dash would fight the entire student body just to make sure Danny didn't get thrown into a locker.

Danny sighed, but let a smile push through. "Well," he said, "I guess if you want to, there's nothing I can do to change it."

Dash smiled and pulled him in close for a hug. Danny stood on the tips of his toes to reach a comfortable part of Dash to wrap his arms around, while Dash had to lean forward even more to get his around something that wasn't Danny's neck.

They broke apart and Danny looked back up at him. "Just try not to be so rough when I'm looking," he said.

"Just try not to look," Dash answered. Danny let out a laugh, making Dash feel all the better about their situation. Danny was going to be okay.

Dash nodded and turned towards the end of the hallway. "Walk you to class?"

Together, the two walked down the hallway, away from the fighting. As they turned the corner, their hands unconciously met and held. Both Danny and Dash realized and felt themselves going red, but didn't break their grip. Small smiles crept onto each of their faces as they realized their new first.


End file.
